Athletics Celebrates 2018-19 Year at Annual Banquet

Dr. William Brown Academic Athletic Achievement Award

May 02, 2019

The Carnegie Mellon University Athletics Department hosted its annual awards banquet on Wednesday, May 1. The event honored the athletic and academic achievements throughout the 2018-19 season with more than 350 student-athletes in attendance.

The program began with Director of Athletics Josh Centor congratulating the student-athletes and teams for their performances throughout the year and the way they represent the university. Prior to the start of dinner, 10 of the 20 Tartan Awards were presented by the head coaches.

Following dinner, Centor thanked the athletics department staff for the hard work and dedication brought to the office every day before the head coaches announced the remaining nine Tartan Awards.

The Michael C. Murphy Citizenship Award was presented by Michael Murphy, the former Vice President for Campus Affairs. The award is given to a senior student-athlete that has demonstrated character, sportsmanship, service and impact on the university during his or her time at Carnegie Mellon. This year's recipient was Zach Masciopinto of men’s soccer.

During his time at Carnegie Mellon, Masciopinto captained the men's soccer team for three years and was the heart-and-sould of a program that earned three at-large bids to the NCAA Championship during his career. A CoSIDA Academic All-American, Masciopinto committed his time to the Lincoln Elementay School tutoring program, led stations at SAAC Field Day each year and attended drama productions and the annual Kiltie Band winter concert all while excelling in the classroom as a mechanical engineer.

Carnegie Mellon Faculty Athletics Representative Susan Polansky presented the Dr. William Brown Academic Athletic Achievement Awards to the male and female student-athletes who are four-year participants and earned the highest grade-point average while participating in intercollegiate athletics.

The recognition was named in honor of the Tartans' first-ever NCAA Faculty Athletics Representative, William Brown, following his passing in 2007.

This year's recipients of the 10th annual Dr. William Brown Academic Athletic Achievement Awards were Rose Ciriello of women’s cross country and track and field and men’s soccer player Jack McCambridge. Ciriello carries a 3.88 grade point average and will graduate in May with a degree decision science and human computer interaction. She will continue her academic pursuits at Carnegie Mellon as she is enrolled in the master’s program in human computer interaction. Jack has a 4.0 GPA and will graduate in May with a degree in mechanical engineering. He will be working for Apple in Cupertino, California, as a Battery Product Design Engineer.

The evening closed with recognition of members of the senior class, who were awarded graduation sashes and honored for their contributions to the athletics program. To cap off the event, athletes, coaches and staff were shown a highlight video chronicling the moments that defined the year in Tartan athletics.

Below is a list of the Tartan Award winners in each sport. Tartan Awards are presented based on program-specific criteria developed by each head coach.